The All Purpose Off Day Thread |

[Honour Over Glory]

What centre would you think they’d call up? He’s the only one in WBS with any real NHL experience and plays a hard, aggressive game. He has PK experience too. Seems like common sense to me. JR traded for him for depth and a better version of Rowney.

It wouldn't kill this team to give a kid like Blueger a game or two finally.

 

[Tom Hanks]

It wouldn't kill this team to give a kid like Blueger a game or two finally.

Earlier in the season when he got called up sure but after the deadline you have limited call ups and Jooris will be part of our playoff run (whether in the line up or for injuries).

Blueger’s bank account got a significant boost even being the #13 so wasn’t all bad for him.

 

[Slaaapshuter]

@Honour Over Glory Speaking of Hornqvist’s intensity in the GDT, here is an awesome article (last year) about the great man. @ColePens you’ll love this too if you haven’t seen it.

Patric Hornqvist's intensity is 'on another level'

“He just turned to me and started screaming in Swedish,” Kuhnhackl recalled. “I was like, ‘Is this normal? What’s happening here?’ I honestly started to get scared.

Hahahahaha.

 

[Slaaapshuter]

After games, the necks of Hornqvist’s undershirts are routinely shredded. They don’t come like this. Hornqvist usually Hulk Hogan’s them in fits of intensity.

Like, WTF?

FITS OF INTENSITY

So not only is he intense as described by others as nonstop 24 hours a day, on top of that he also have psychotic FITS OF INTENSITY.

Love it.

 

[DegenX]

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Didnt even notice Kessel dropped to -6 on the year...after being +5 right around the deadline.

Sometimes +/- does indicate how a player is playing.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I just don't get this schedule. Play back to back, get a 4 day break between games, then immediately have a back to back. And opposing fans still talk about the NHL favoring the Pens?

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I just don't get this schedule. Play back to back, get a 4 day break between games, then immediately have a back to back. And opposing fans still talk about the NHL favoring the Pens?

Uncle Gary has abandoned us!

 

[Peat]

Noticed this while playing around with Natural Stat Trick (so all 5v5) -

We've given up 98 high danger chances in the last 10 games, but only 9 goals from them. The rate given up is high, but the rate conceded is excellent.

But that means we've given up 10 goals on 139 shots, which feels pretty bad. Feel you've got to point the finger at goaltending for giving up goals they didn't have to there.

Incidentally, we've scored 13 on our 120 high danger chances, which isn't bad but could be better... and 9 goals on our 170 non high danger shots, which could also definitely be better.

If we can stop giving up soft non high danger goals and start converting a few more ourselves, things would look a fair bit rosier.

Edit:

Or, to put it another way, we're top 6 for all the fancy possession stats in the last 10 games - but only 12th for GF%. We're third for MDCF% and 22nd for MDGF% - we're dead last for MD Sv%. We're 14th on LDCF% (we're 21st for LDCF, 23rd for LDCA) - 7th for LDGF%. We're 18th for PDO.

Which I think clashes with the narrative that I'm seeing around here that the team is killing itself by giving up too many high danger chances... we give up a lot, but we get the better of those. We give up far too many Medium Danger goals, despite generating far more chances there. That's where the real damage is happening at ES. Not scoring enough there either.

But, in terms of raw numbers, deffo playing the right way.

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

Man, I resent Jooris not because it's Jooris, but because the Pens seriously think that's the only guy they should call up (no not advocating for just Sprong).

.

It's positional only
If we had a winger go down, then yea then we can all be upset it isn't Sprong

 

[Andy99]

Noticed this while playing around with Natural Stat Trick (so all 5v5) -

We've given up 98 high danger chances in the last 10 games, but only 9 goals from them. The rate given up is high, but the rate conceded is excellent.

But that means we've given up 10 goals on 139 shots, which feels pretty bad. Feel you've got to point the finger at goaltending for giving up goals they didn't have to there.

Incidentally, we've scored 13 on our 120 high danger chances, which isn't bad but could be better... and 9 goals on our 170 non high danger shots, which could also definitely be better.

If we can stop giving up soft non high danger goals and start converting a few more ourselves, things would look a fair bit rosier.

Edit:

Or, to put it another way, we're top 6 for all the fancy possession stats in the last 10 games - but only 12th for GF%. We're third for MDCF% and 22nd for MDGF% - we're dead last for MD Sv%. We're 14th on LDCF% (we're 21st for LDCF, 23rd for LDCA) - 7th for LDGF%. We're 18th for PDO.

Which I think clashes with the narrative that I'm seeing around here that the team is killing itself by giving up too many high danger chances... we give up a lot, but we get the better of those. We give up far too many Medium Danger goals, despite generating far more chances there. That's where the real damage is happening at ES. Not scoring enough there either.

But, in terms of raw numbers, deffo playing the right way.

Yep....good job. Someone in the LGP forum posted some excellent analysis too about the goaltending, concluding that we should be worried about Murray, not the defense...also, Kingerski had an article as well: the defense is built for the team to play in the O zone, whether some posters on here like it or not...that's the reality...they're going to give up chances with that risky style....we are built to play that way and playing that way requires stellar goaltending, which we've had in the past two years. Otherwise it doesn't work. Murray must pick up his game...

 

[canadianguy77]

Have to think the numbers will improve once these guys start blocking shots gain.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

One thing to consider.

The Pens are entering the playoffs relatively healthy, and oddly enough rested given that most of the players barely showed up to a lot of games.

Looks at some other teams who people point to as scary because of the regular season. The Bruins Bruins for instance have both Nash's, Carlo, Bjork and McAvoy all injured and no sooner do they get one back than another goes down. Carlo almost certainly is done.

It has been nerve wracking but at least the Pens are at least with two games left entering the playoffs in pretty good shape. I think that Brass for instance would likely be playing if the playoffs started tomorrow.

Lack of will to compete in the corners, or at all, not going down to block shots, especially on the PK, has ballooned the GAA but paid dividends. Does anyone really think that lack of effort and will to give up the body continues into the playoffs?

 

[Peat]

Yep....good job. Someone in the LGP forum posted some excellent analysis too about the goaltending, concluding that we should be worried about Murray, not the defense...also, Kingerski had an article as well: the defense is built for the team to play in the O zone, whether some posters on here like it or not...that's the reality...they're going to give up chances with that risky style....we are built to play that way and playing that way requires stellar goaltending, which we've had in the past two years. Otherwise it doesn't work. Murray must pick up his game...

The weird thing is that he seems to be doing the stellar bit, its the more routine stuff he seems to be mucking up on. Didn't see the Caps game but the... whoever the hell we played the game before, I can't remember now, that game, that was a bit more like it. Giving up two goals to clean sight shots from the point against Philly - nae so much.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Have to think the numbers will improve once these guys start blocking shots gain.

Actually I thought the same, as I used that argument in my post above, but then I just looked it up:

NHL.com - Stats

Pens blocked 1911 shots so far this year, 5th most in the NHL.

However just from the eye test, it seems like they are doing it more with sticks than actually going down and sacrificing the body and chancing injury. Maybe my eye test is wrong, but statistically at least there are only a handful of teams who have blocked more shots this year.

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

It wouldn't kill this team to give a kid like Blueger a game or two finally.

Well considering what happened earlier this year, apparently it WOULD kill them

 

[DegenX]

 

[RizzleMcRib]

Maintenance day for Kessel?

 

[DegenX]

Maintenance day for Kessel?

Probably. Still waiting for the HCMS quotes to be Tweeted.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Just switch Rust with ANY of those other RWers.

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

Just switch Rust with ANY of those other RWers.

So simple to everyone except the guy actually making those decisions

 

[RizzleMcRib]

Just switch Rust with ANY of those other RWers.

I would love to see ZAR back on a line with Sid.

Guentz - Sid - ZAR

 

[AjaxTelamon]

Probably. Still waiting for the HCMS quotes to be Tweeted.

Simon a placeholder and playing Sheary and Kessel together? Man, I don't know. Maybe they convinced Phil to take a week off here.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Well... I guess here's to hoping Malkin can get his last 4 points on the powerplay to crack 100. Because it won't be ES.

Why isn't Rust allowed to play on his RW, anymore? It seems like the most natural fit with Kessel being banged up.

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

Why isn't Rust allowed to play on his RW, anymore? It seems like the most natural fit with Kessel being banged up.

"Rust and Sid are like peas and carrots"
-Mike Sullivan and Forrest Gump